The present invention relates to an arrangement for enhancing the cooling capacity of portable personal computers. More particularly, the invention is directed to the provision of an arrangement or device for increasing the cooling capacity and heat dissipation of laptop computers, wherein the computer possesses a bottom keyboard which is articulated to the lower edge of an openable (LCD) display panel, and wherein at least components of the electronics are housed in the keyboard housing.
The capacity and performance of portable personal computers, such as laptop computers, notebook computers or the like, has recently been enhanced to such an extent that; for example, since the beginning of 1996, the thermal dissipation requirements of portable personal computers (PCs) have increased from about 10 watts to 20 watts and even higher values. This increase in the thermal dissipation requirements is a result of ever increasing CPU performance and additional functionality; such as DVD, modem, audio and the like, which are provided by future PCs. As elucidated in an article by Albert Yu, "The Future of Microprocessors", IEEE Micro, December 1996, pages 46 through 53, the trend of increasing power dissipation in the form of heat for portable personal computers will continue in the foreseeable future. Thus, at the widely employed A4 form factor for a portable personal computer; for instance, the cooling limit for a portable PC without a cooling fan is currently approximately 15 to 20 watts. Thus, providing a greater cooling capacity than the current limits in order to meet the anticipated thermal dissipation requirements of future portable personal computers, represents not only a potential competitive advantage in industry, but also provides a significant product differentiation from currently available and commercially sold portable personal computers.
In particular with regard to the power consumption of laptop computers, there has been recently a continued increase in the power of the CPU. For example, the total of power of a laptop computer is normally about 10 watts, and has now increased to a range of about 30 to 40 watts or higher, whereas the CPU power has been increased from about 2 to 6 watts and, conceivably, can be as high as in the 10 watts range. Most of this power will eventually be dissipated in the form of heat to the surroundings. Consequently, being able to remove increased amounts of heat from the laptop computer becomes a critical factor in the construction and operation of such laptop computers.